Black History Month: Recognize It

Welcome to February, the month of love, football and black history. Although the former two tend to overshadow the latter, we as college-attending intellectuals have a moral duty to partake in, and demonstrate the importance of, Black History Month.

Black history is also both American and world history. Therefore, let it not be forgotten or left out of the narrative.

Unfortunately, this is easier said than done in most cases. Recently, I walked around MSMSC and asked several students if they could name any black historical figures besides the glaringly obvious, such as Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Out of the 10 I polled, only one student could merely name a single figure. Still, it is at least sobering to understand that people have truly neglected learning about all aspects of American history, not just the white parts.

We need to bring back the importance of Black History Month, and that starts here. One of the ways we can do this is by hosting events where attendance is abundant. Our campus library in the Dominican Center is a formidable location, as they have in the past hosted the authors of a book discussing runaway slaves in the Hudson River Valley as a part of their annual Library Week events.

If we continue to enhance the path of educating and learning, we can spread it to the world beyond our college and throughout our futures.